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nihil obstat

noun nihil ob·stat \ -ˈäbzˌtat , -bˌst- \

Definition of nihil obstat

1 : the certification by an official censor of the Roman Catholic Church that a book has been examined and found to contain nothing opposed to faith and morals
2 : authoritative or official approval
  • the surest road to fame was … through the imprimatur and nihil obstat of a foreign critic
  • —P. H. Odegard

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Origin and Etymology of nihil obstat

Latin, nothing hinders

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